I think of the vignette style memoir book as a scrapbook or journal
come to life through memorable stories and accompanying photos.
We all love storiesfunny, sentimental, even tragic stories speak to
the heart. The storytelling tradition is part of every culture and the
means by which so many of our memories are passed down through
the generations.

When I write or film a person's history, their stories are what I
recall. Interviewing my own mother at age 90, I heard anecdotes
that I'd never heard before. Writing these reminiscences as a series
of vignettes with accompanying photos makes a beautiful memory
book of that person's life. Attention to detailsuch as writing the
stories on old style paper, using specific fonts and changing photos
to a sepia or faded lookcan create a specific mood or tone.

The vignettes and photos are placed into a scrapbook. We will
discuss how many vignettes you want to include and whether you
want to also include stories that others write about you. We also
discuss the use of photos. You may choose between a memory
book that is more content oriented or one that is more photo
oriented. Certain sections of the book might also include "photo
galleries" emphasizing certain periods of your life.

Click on the images at right for some excerpts from vignette style
memory books: